A Note on Hooks

When we first started Aeolian Hope, I was severely allergic to the concept of a ‘hook’ at the beginning of a story. Far, far too often I’ve seen this device used very cheaply by movies and other storytelling mediums, and I came to view the ‘hook’ as a tropey trick used to generate false excitement for a story that would probably never live up to the expectations set by said hook.

Over this last summer however, I finally heard someone explain the hook in a way that clicked for me. They said that the hook represents the storyteller’s promise to the reader (or viewer, as it may be). It is a way to promise the audience that this story will be interesting and worth their time. Suddenly I understood the importance of a good hook, and realized that it wasn’t the device itself I loathed, but the sloppy, lazy use of it by a lot of media content.

In thinking about this, I realized that Aeolian Hope needed a better hook. I don’t want to pause the story’s momentum to have our artist draw a bunch of stuff that should have gone in at the beginning though, so I’ve made it one of our Patreon milestone goals that we will clean up the beginning properly, including the hook. In the meantime however, I wanted to have at least something at the beginning, so I’ve written something which is our new Page 1.

The full hook as I envision it will accompany this poem, which is written by one of our ODST characters you’re all about to meet, Saadiya Moreau (she’s actually kind of famous among UNSC service members for her poetry).

In summary, I apologize for not starting AH with a proper hook, I’ve learned my lesson now, and here’s a small fix to last until such a time as we can amend it properly.

Aeolian Hope is still progressing along the main story, and Page 23 is about halfway done. Here’s a little sneak preview: